Accelerated syngas generation from chemical looping CH4 reforming by using reduced ilmenite ore as catalyst

Chemical looping reforming of CH 4 (CH 4 -CLR) is an advanced technology for syngas generation, and ilmenite ore has been considered a promising oxygen carrier material due to its extremely low cost. However, the weak reactivity of ilmenite ore over CH 4 prevents its practical application in CH 4 -CLR. This study has established a facile strategy to enhance the reactivity of CH 4 toward ilmenite ore by simply introducing the same but reduced ilmenite ore as the catalyst for a pre-activation of CH 4 , so as to accelerate the reaction between the CH 4 and ilmenite. Results show that the addition of reduced ilmenite ore as catalyst significantly accelerates the reaction between CH 4 and ilmenite ore, which successfully reduces the induction period from 150 min to almost 0 min. A higher catalyst to oxygen carrier ratio, higher temperature and deeper reduction stage of the catalyst are all beneficial in accelerating the reaction between CH 4 and ilmenite ore. • A significantly accelerated syngas production for chemical looping CH 4 reforming. • Ilmenite ore functions as both oxygen carrier and catalyst. • The catalyst of reduced ilmenite shortens the induction period from 150 min to 0.